Information

Ongoing training is vital if companies are to keep up with the latest innovations in production methods, management and operations as well as keeping up with advancing technology. A company's personnel are it's backbone and base and it is of utmost importance that their training is kept up to date. Sales personnel, being the company's front end, are equally, if not more, important to an organisation.

It is recommended that employees undergo management training to prepare them for roles as leaders, allowing them to change their career path or facilitate promotion to higher positions in the company. Often those participating in such courses come from production and office roles. While sales managers also take part in such training programs, it is less common in many companies.

However, such training programs frequently do not include sales personnel. It is not that sales personnel do not get any training from their employers. They do get training sessions and courses on customer relations, interpersonal relationships, selling with integrity, sales management and other such allied subjects considered useful to their sales careers.

Sales personnel are the people who earn money for the organization hence they are differently treated from others. The very existence of the organization is dependent upon the sales it makes hence organizations are not readily forthcoming to send its sales team to an extended period of training if adequate backup does not exists. Normally sales personnel are always out on the field directly meeting and interacting with the customers in their respective territory so it is difficult to create a backup team for them. So the very strengths of a successful sales person turn out to the real blockades for his participation in management training

Many options are available to tackle this problem. The entire training programme can be structured in such a manner as to enable the sales personnel to access the training modules in a phased manner instead of at one long stretch. The organisation can think of using its senior managers as coaches or mentors. An interaction between sales managers and the personnel from other fields who are also undergoing the same training, should be encouraged in order to facilitate the bonding of values ethos and culture of the organization

Thanks to advances in modern technology, there's been development in interactive online lessons and training, as well as distance learning. These platforms are an effective way to provide training to salespeople. They can receive excerpts from management books via email, or even given access to an online library where they can choose from a range of management books.

Sales personnel have good knowledge about the customers and products and also they are good in interpersonal skills. T hey also think and take decision quickly on any matter. These strengths are very valuable for the organization and should not be kept in isolation as sales functions. Organizations should recognize these strengths and promote more sales people into managerial functions.